The ATR aircraft on a flight from Warsaw to Prague with 46 passengers on board was landed by the co-pilot and no one was injured.

Ecuador leader's libel case upheld

Ecuador's highest court has upheld the verdict against 'El Universo' newspaper for libelling President Rafael Correa.

The original ruling last year sentenced a columnist and the newspapers owners to three years in jail and awarded damages totalling $40m (€30.5m). Mr Correa brought the libel suit after 'El Universo' questioned an army raid to rescue him from a violent protest by striking policemen in 2010.

Record high for US mixed marriages

Marriage between races and ethnic groups has reached an all-time high in the US, according to a Pew Research Centre study.

Couples of different race or ethnicity made up a record 8.4pc of all married couples in 2010, up from 3.2pc in 1980. About 15pc of all new US marriages in 2010 were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity, more than twice the share in 1980.

Sat-navs cause €240m of damage

Misleading sat-navs have caused more than €241m of damage to cars in the past 12 months, it has been revealed.

As many as 83pc of sat-nav users in the UK have been misled by their system, a survey by Confused.com found. The damage resulted from accidents caused by going the wrong way.

It takes a crook to catch a crook

Danish police facing a 60pc surge in burglaries are turning to the experts to help solve the problem -- the crooks themselves.

Northern Zealand police spokesman Finn Bernth Andersen said burglars will be asked to participate in an anonymous questionnaire about their crimes.

Emergency slide a crying shame

A mother with a screaming child wanted a quick getaway from a plane on the tarmac in Vietnam and asked for help. The man next to her obliged opening the emergency exit, triggering the escape slide.

They never actually used the slide at Ho Chi Minh City airport, but 29-year-old Le Van Thuan faces being fined up to €720, and it will cost€7,700 to refit the slide.